Sporting Clube de Goa was founded in the year 1999 when a group of football enthusiasts led by two young entrepreneurs Mr. Peter Vaz and Mr. Edgar Afonso took over a Goa first Division team which was being disbanded by its management, Hotel Cidade de Goa and re-christened it to “Sporting Clube de Goa”.

Since then there has been no looking back for Sporting, as the club is popularly known. Guided by a dynamic and visionary management the club has had a meteoric rise from the Goa first division to find its destined place amongst the elite of Indian Football in a short span of less than 4 years.

SPORTING CLUBE DE GOA IN GOAN FOOTBALL

In the first year of its inception the club made its mark on the highly competitive Goan football scene by winning the Goa Football Association 1st Division title with a record of 37 points with 12 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss and a goal difference of +25 from 14 matches and earning a promotion to the elite Goa Professional League.

In the Goa Professional League pitted against some of the best teams in the country, Sporting successfully fought for its survival in the first two seasons before coming into its own and bagging the 3rd place consequently for the next two seasons i.e. 2002-2003 and 2003-2004. In the season 2004-05 Sporting improved its performance a notch by securing the Runners-up spot in the Goa Professional League. Sporting also emerged Runners-up at the Goa Governor’s Cup 2003-2004. In 2005-06 Sporting maintained the Runners-up spot in Goa Professional League and the following season 2006-07 emerged the champions of Hutch Goa Professional League. Sporting has also got a strangle hold on the Goa Governor’s Cup by winning it for three years running in 2005, 2006 & 2007.

SPORTING CLUBE DE GOA AT NATIONAL LEVEL

a) NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE:

After an unsuccessful attempt at qualification for the 6th “Tata” National Football League 2001-02 when it failed to make it to the final phase of Second Division National Football League 2000-01, loosing out on goal difference, Sporting ran a blistering Campaign in its come-back in the Second Division National Football League 2002-03, overcoming all comers to emerge champions, and qualified for the subsequent First Division National Football League 2003-04.

Sporting Clube’s debut season in the 8th “Coca-Cola” National Football League 2003-04 was marked by flashes of brilliant play, but an inconsistent defense which resulted in too many goals gifted and points lost let them down. However, Sporting survived the first year in the First Division National Football League with a creditable 8th place finish and has been playing for the top honors ever since.

In the 9th “ONGC” National Football League 2004-05, Sporting surpassed all expectations by coming within a whisker of winning the title in just its second appearance in the National Football League. Sporting finished Runners-up and went on to win the “ONGC” Super Cup beating the NFL Champions Dempo Sports Club 3-0. The 10th “ONGC Cup” National Football League 2005-06 saw Sporting finish 4th followed by a 6th place finish in the 11th “ONGC Cup” National Football League 2006-07.

In the 1st “ONGC” I-League 2007-08, Sporting, for the first time bereft of their star player Dudu Omagbemi who left to play in Europe, staved off relegation and finished 7th though on equal points with East Bengal at 6th place.

The just concluded 2nd “ONGC” I-League 2008-09 saw Sporting Clube de Goa give one of their best performances. The ‘Flaming Oranje’ led the league table from the start and were four points ahead of the nearest rivals, Mohun Bagan, on completion of the first leg. Sporting had eight victories in the first leg, which included those against Mohun Bagan (2:0) and DempoSC (1:0). Somehow Sporting faltered towards the end and ended up with a creditable 3rd place finish, although tied on points with Mohun Bagan (43 points) who went ahead with better goal difference.

b) FEDERATION CUP:

Sporting heralded its arrival on the National Football scene by a scintillating performance in the Federation Cup 2001-02 at Chennai by breaking into the last four after wins over more fancied teams like Indian Bank, Tollygunge and East Bengal before bowing out to Dempo Sports Club in the semifinals. After loosing out narrowly 1-0 to eventual winners Mahindra United at Calcutta in 2002-03, Sporting repeated its Chennai performance at Federation Cup 2004 held at Bangalore with wins over Mohamedan Sporting and East Bengal before going down to Mohun Bagan in extra time in the penultimate round. In the Federation Cup 2005, Sporting steamrolled into the finals before going down to Mahindra United. In 2006-2007 Sporting again reached the finals but lost in penalty shoot-out to Mohun Bagan after being tied 1-1.

c) DURAND CUP:

Sporting Clube de Goa grew from being Quarter-Finalists in the 117th Durand Cup 2004 to gaining the ranks of being Runners-up in the very next year, losing out 4-5 to Army XI on penalties after battling out a goal-less full-time affair with the later. Sporting finished among the Semi-Finalists in the 119th “Osian’s” Durand Cup 2006 campaign and were Quarter-Finalists in the 120th “Osian’s” Durand Cup 2007.

In the recently held 121st “Osain’s” Durand Cup 2008, Sporting featured some young talent, and playing without any foreigners in the squad, fought their way to an incredible Semi-Finalists’ finish before bowing out to fellow Goan side Churchill Brothers SC on penalties.